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RULES FOR DRAW POKER 





Book tc) 3L. 



Elzevir Card Tracts. 



No. 1 



H-J 






DRAW, 



Rules for Playing Poker. 



The Hon. ROBERT C. SCHENCK, 



>J]^' Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the 

United States of America^ near Her Majesty the 
Queen of Great B.-itain aud Irela?id. 



'' Put not your trust in Kings and Princes : 
Three of a kind will take them both " 



BROOKLYN, N. Y. : 

PRIVATELY PRINTED. 
1880. 



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THE AUTHOR ^S APOLOGY. 

Ik the Summer of 1872, while yisiting 
with others at a country house in Somerset - 
shire, the guests, as is usual in English soci - 
ety amused themselves in the evening with 
games at cards : and, as is also usual, the 
stakes were for pennies and sixpences. They 
were anxious to learn the American game of 
poker, of which they had heard, and of 
which some of them already knew a little. I 
showed them how it was played. When I 
was coming away the lady of the house re - 
quested me, as a favor to herself, and other 
friends who thought it attractive and amus - 
ing, to write down some of the rules of the 



It 

game, as it is so generally played in Americao 
I complied with her request as well as I could 
on the very morning of my leaving her 
hospitable house, and thought little more of 
my act of politeness until she surprised me 
by sending me some copies of these rules, 
which a gentleman, another visitor, had had 
printed for her, and for their own private 
use and circulation, on his own private 
printing - press. It was very prettily done. 
It was intended as a compliment, and I am 
very sure that nobody can be more amazed 
or more annoyed than my friend, LadyW., 
and her family and guests, to find that they 
have thus unwittingly brought down on me 
the wrath and reprehension of so many good 
people in America. 




RULES. 



The deal is of no special value 
and anybody may begin. 

The dealer, beginning with the 
person at his left, throws around five 
cards to each player, giving one card 
at a time. 

The dealer shuffles and makes up 
the pack himself, or it may be done 
by the player at his left, and the 
player at his right must cut. 

To begin the pool, the player next 
to the dealer on his left, must put up 
money, which is called an ''Ante," 



and then in succession, each player 
passing around to the left, must, after 
looking at his hand, determine if he 
goes in or not ; and each person de - 
ciding to play for the pool must put 
in twice the amount of the ante. 
Those v/ho decline to play throw up 
their cards, face downward, and per 
consequence, in front of the next 
dealer. 

When all who wish to play have 
gone in, the person putting up the 
ante can either give up all interest in 
the pool, thus forfeiting the ante 
which has been put up, or else can 
play like the others who have gone 
in, by ''making good, " that is, put- 
ting up in addition to the ante as 
much more as will make him equal in 



stake to the rest. 

If a number of players have gone 
in, it is best generally for the ante - 
man to make good and go in even 
with a poor hand, because half his 
stake is already up, and he can 
therefore stay in for half as much as 
the others have had to put up, 
which is a percentage in favor of his 
taking the risk. This, of course, 
does not apply if any one has 
''raised," that is more than doubled 
the ante before it comes around to 
the starting point. 

Any one at the time of going in 
must put up as much as double the 
ante, and may put up as much more 
as he pleases by way of ''raising" 
the ante, in which case every other 



player must put up as much as will 
make his stake equal to such in- 
crease, or else abandon what he has 
already put in. 

Each player as he makes good and 
equals the others who are in before 
him, can thus increase the ante if he 
chooses, compelling the others still to 
come up to that increase or to aban - 
don their share in the pool. 

All ''going in" or ''raising" of the 
pool, as well as all betting afterward, 
must be in regular order, going round 
by the left; no one going in, making 
good, increasing the ante, or betting, 
except in turn. 

When all are in equally who intend 
to play, each player in turn will have 
the privilege of drawing ; that is, of 



5 

throwing away any number of his five 
cards and drawing as many others, 
to try thus to better his hand. The 
cards thus thrown up must be placed 
face downward on the table, and, for 
convenience, in front of or near the 
next dealer. 

The dealer, passing round to the 
left will ask each player in turn how 
many cards he will have, and deal 
him the number asked for from the 
top of the pack without their being 
seen. The dealer, if he has gone in 
to play for the pool, will, in like man - 
ner, help himself last. 

The players must throw away their 
discarded cards before taking up or 
looking at those they draw. 

In the game every player is for 



himself and against all others, and to 
that end will not let any of his cards 
be seen, nor betray the value of his 
hand by drawing or playing out of 
his turn, or by change of countenance, 
or any other sign. It is a great ob - 
ject to mystify your adversaries up to 
the *^call, " when hands have to be 
shown. To this end it is permitted 
to chaff or talk nonsense, with a view 
of misleading your adversaries as to 
the value of your hand, but this must 
be without unreasonably delaying the 
game. 

When the drawing is all complete, 
the betting goes around in order, like 
the drawing, to the left. The ante 
man is the first to bet unless he has 
declined to play, and in that case the 



first to bet is the player nearest to the 
dealer on his left. But the player 
entitled to bet first may withhold his 
bet until the others have bet round 
to him, which is called ''holding the 
age, " and this being an advantage, 
should as a general rule, be practiced. 

Each better in turn must put into 
the pool a sum eqval at least to the 
first bet made; but each may in turn 
increase the bet or raise it as it comes 
to him; in which case, the bets, pro- 
ceeding around in order, must be 
made by each player in his turn e - 
qual to the highest amount put in by 
any one, or else failing to do that, the 
party who fails must go out of the 
play forfeiting his interest in the pool. 

When a player puts in only as 



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much as has been put in by each 
player who has preceded him, that is 
called *' seeing'' the bet. 

When a player puts in that much, 
and raises it, that is called seeing the 
bet and ^' going better." 

When the bet goes around to the 
last better or player who remains in, 
if he does not wish to see and go 
better, he simply sees and '*calls," and 
then all playing must show their 
hands and the highest hand wins the 
pool. 

When any one declines to see the 
bet, or the increase of bet which has 
been made, he ''lays down " his hand, 
that is throws it up with the cards face 
downward on the table. If all the 
other players throw down their hands, 



9 

the one who remains in to the last 
wins, and takes the pool without 
showing his hand. 

To ''bluff'' is to take the risk of 
betting high enough on a poor hand 
or a worthless one, to make all the 
other players lay down their hands 
without seeing or calHng you. 

When a hand is complete, so that 
the holder of it can play without 
drawing to better it, that is called a 
''pat'' hand. A bold player will 
sometimes decline to draw any cards, 
and pretend to have a pat hand, and 
play it as such, when he has none. 

A skillful player will watch and ob- 
serve what each player draws, the ex - 
pression of the face, the circumstances 
and manner of betting, and judge, or 



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try to judge, of the value of each 
hand opposed to him accordingly. 

No one is bound to answer the 
question, how many cards he drew, 
except the dealer; and the dealer is 
not bound to tell after the betting has 
begun. 

If the player determines to draw to 
a pair, he draws three cards. If he 
draws to two pair, he draws one 
card. 

If he holds three to begin with, he 
draws two cards, in order to have the 
best chance of making a full, inas - 
much as, in playing, pairs are apt to 
run together. But, to deceive his 
adversaries and make them think he 
has nothing better than two pairs, a 
sharp player will often draw but one 



II 

card to his threes. 

It IS advisable sometimes to keep 
an ace, or other high card, as an 
''outsider'' with a small pair and 
draw but one card — thus taking the 
chances of matching the high card, 
and so getting a good two pairs, or 
something better possibly — while at 
the same time others may be deceived 
into believing that the player is 
drawing to threes. 

When drawing to cards of the 
same suit, to try to make a flush, or 
to cards of successive denominations, 
to try to make a sequence, as many 
more cards are to be taken as will be 
needed to fill out the flush or se - 
quence. But it is seldom advisable 
to venture in to draw for either a 



1^ 

flush or a sequence when more than 
one card is required to complete the 
hand 

When a player holds fours in his 
original hand, it is as good as it can 
be ; and yet it is best to throw away 
the outside card and draw one, be - 
cause others may then think he is on - 
ly drawing to two pairs, or for a flush 
or a sequence, and will not suspect 
the great value of the hand. 

When one is in (as he ought sel - 
dom to be) without even so much as 
a pair, his choice must be, either to 
discard four cards, or three cards, and 
draw to the highest or two highest in 
the hand, or throw away the whole 
hand and draw five, or look content 
and serious, stand pat, and bet high ! 



13 

The player determining to try this 
last alternative on a worthless hand 
had generally better begin by raising 
when he goes in, or else nobody will 
be likely to believe in his pretended 
strong hand. 

Relative value of hands in their or- 
der, beginning with the best: 

1. A Sequence Flush — Which is a 
sequence of five cards, and all of the 
same suit. 

2. Fours— Which is four of the five 
cards of the same denomination. 

3. A Full — Which is a hand con- 
sisting of three cards of the same 
denomination and two of likewise e - 
qual denomination. 

4. A Flush — Which is all five cards 
of the same suit. 



5. A Sequence — Which is all five 
cards not of the same suit but all in 
sequence. [In computing the value 
of a sequence, an ace counts either 
as the highest or lowest card, that 
is, below a deuce or above a king. ] 

6. Threes — Which is three cards 
of the same denomination, but the 
other two of different denominations 
from each other. 

7. Two Pairs. 

8. One Pair. 

9. When a hand has neither of the a- 
bove the count is by the cards of 
highest value or denomination. 

When parties opposed, each holds 
a pair, the highest pair wins, and the 
same when each party holds threes or 
fours. 



15 

When each party holds two pairs, 
the highest pair of the two determines 
the relative value of the hands. 

When each party holds a sequence^ 
the hand commencing wath the high - 
est card in sequence wins; so also 
when two or more parties hold flush- 
es against each other. 

That full counts highest of which 
the three cards of the same denomi- 
nation are highest. The two cards 
of the same denomination help only 
to constitute the full, ^but do not add 
to the value of the hand. 

When hands are equal so far that 
each party holds a pair, or two pairs, 
of exactly the same value, then the 
next highest card or cards in each 
hand must be compared with the next 



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highest card or cards in the other 
hand to determine which wins. 

In case of the hicjhest hands 
(which very seldom occurs) being 
exactly equal the pool is divided. 

The main elements of success in the 
game are : ( i ) good heck; ( 2 ) good 
cards; ( 3 ) plenty of cheek; and ( 4 ) 
good temper. 




i7 
THE GAME OF POKAIRE. 

BY BOB sea's KENK. 

Thus rules tlie festiye gambolaire : 
Never bet on a single pair. 
For three of a kind wiil beat you square, 
Or eyen a straight mil lead that are ; 
But if a full your hand shall bear. 
Your chance to win may be reckoned fair — 
That is, if your three are away up there ; 
Kings may do, but by aces swear, 
Though four of a kind may make you stare. 
Or a royal flush lift the four hand's hair. 
Therefore, draw, boys, draw with care. 
And shift your cards with a careless air. 
And when at last to call you dare. 
You may ^^rake the pile" of the gay crou - 
paire. 



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